


mcjesus

by rocketsfindplanets



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Getting Together, M/M, NHL All-Star Game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-06
Updated: 2018-03-06
Packaged: 2019-03-27 17:59:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13886136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rocketsfindplanets/pseuds/rocketsfindplanets
Summary: Noah Hanifin definitely topped the list of shit Jack didn’t want to deal with, but had to anyway. (Partly because he didn’t want to put Connor at first place in anything, partly becauseNoah.)Or, the one where Connor McDavid kind of gets Jack and Noah together without ever even showing up.





	mcjesus

The Pacific won, which stung a little bit more than it maybe should have.

Pacific winning just meant another situation in which Jack was second, second after Connor fucking McDavid, even if McDavid had seen his fair share of mistakes in the game. It was just a thing, one that didn’t necessarily have to make sense.

Jack was still having fun, though, and seeing Brock win MVP was kind of cool.

(Another rookie doing what he hadn’t been able to do. It was fine. Jack didn’t need a free car.)

He had another night at his hotel in Tampa Bay, so he went back there before too horribly long, giving himself a chance to get some rest but also to maybe think about making some plans for later. But first, rest, and a little bit more sulking than belonged on All-Star weekend.

The hotel was pretty nice, so even though he had obviously had a shower after the game, he took another one now, taking the time to enjoy the hot water and try to decompress. He was pretty calm when he walked out into his room with only a towel draped around his shoulders, right up until he heard a knock on the door.

“Shit,” he hissed under his breath, before calling out, “Just a sec!”

Jack scrambled for the robe that came with the room and slipped it on as quickly as he could before opening the door just a crack.

“Hello?” He peeked out, not really wanting to go out into the hall in just a robe, even if there probably weren’t many people around to notice.

“Hey.”

Noah stared back at him with a grin, offering a quick wave.

“What the fuck,” Jack said, blinking back at him.

He laughed, trying to pry the door open more, but Jack didn’t budge. “Auston,” Noah eventually explained.

“Ah, fuck him,” Jack sighed, unable to help a ghost of a smile from finally teasing at his lips. “Well, if you came all the way out here to Tampa Bay for me, may as well let you in.”

“Oh, please. If anybody’s here to watch anybody, you’re here to watch me.”

“Which is why you’re at my hotel?” he asked, stepping out of the way and opening the door a little more.

Noah came in, then, raising an eyebrow as he finally got a full look at Jack’s outfit, too thin and clinging to his skin a bit from the moisture. “Just for me?” he asked, mocking Jack’s tone from earlier.

“Not my fault you stalked me to figure out where I was staying instead of just, I dunno, texting me? Or asking me any of the times we saw each other this weekend?”

It came out snappier than Jack intended, and he winced a bit. Noah just looked at him, and Jack had to bite his lip to stop himself from apologising.

“Hey,” Noah eventually said, his voice gentle, all of the bite, the teasing, gone.

Jack swallowed, because he didn’t necessarily trust himself to reply. Noah Hanifin definitely topped the list of shit Jack didn’t want to deal with, but had to anyway. (Partly because he didn’t want to put Connor at first place in anything, partly because  _Noah_.)

They’d been hanging out all weekend already, because when you have a bunch of American guys who played together all in the same place, of course they hang out. Which was 100% fine because Noah was his friend, one of his best friends. They were having fun together, and the Hurricanes had made sure to document that well, so it was no use trying to deny it.

Memories of the draft still tasted bitter in his mouth, though. Memories the end of what they’d had at Boston, or what Jack thought they’d had at Boston. Promises that nothing would change, it was Jack and Noah, all the time. (Memories of coming second to McJesus, too, and  _goddammit_.)

Jack had a million things he wanted to say. Instead, he said, “I can’t think about you without thinking about McDavid.”

It clearly surprised Noah a little bit, but after the initial surprise, he started to laugh. “Seriously, that’s what you’re thinking about right now?”

“Fuck you,” Jack said weakly. He went to sit down on the edge of his bed, not really sure what to do. It wasn’t like he didn’t want Noah there, because he couldn’t imagine a life where he didn’t want Noah.

Fuck.

“Seriously, is everything okay, Eichs? You know you can talk to me, yeah?”

Jack swallowed. “I should probably get dressed, because I’m not sure I can do this… like this.” He gestured vaguely to himself.

“Well, if things goes well, you’ll be wearing a lot less than that by the time I’m done here,” Noah said earnestly.

Something changed in Jack’s face, then, looking at Noah. “Ah,” he said. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Noah echoed. He frowned slightly, sitting down next to Jack. “Fuck, man. McDavid got you that fucked up?”

Jack tensed a little. “God, no, it’s not him, just… Fuck, okay, maybe. It’s stupid.”

“Yeah, it kinda is,” Noah agreed, and Jack didn’t even have the energy to be offended. “Talk to me.”

He hesitantly leaned over against Noah’s side and Noah was happy to wrap an arm around him, holding him there. He let out a soft sigh.

“Like, I’m definitely way over it. That draft was so fucking long ago, you know? It’s been a good weekend. I don’t know.”

“Alright.” Noah rubbed his arm gently, not prompting him for more, seeming content to just sit there with him.

Enough sitting there quietly and Jack eventually repeated, “It’s not him. Not really, it’s just easy to blame everything on him. I think I like somebody and they don’t like me back.”

“Oh, shit,” Noah said, quiet. “So you probably don’t want me to fuck you tonight, then.”

“I definitely do, and that’s the problem.” Jack pulled away from Noah’s side to sit back and look at him, trying to gauge his reaction.

Noah just kind of stared, though. “So you want to date them but still want to fuck me?”

Jack took his turn to stare back. “Hanifin, you’re a fucking idiot,” he said, and he leaned in to kiss him.

He had been the one to initiate their first kiss, too, but this was so different. Noah had kissed back, then, held him up against the wall, so much fire and passion and Jack knew if he had just shut up and had sex with Noah tonight he could have had that again, if he wanted.

He pulled back, slightly, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “You’re my best fucking friend, you know that, right?”

Noah nodded slightly. “I am an idiot,” he declared.

It was all so impulsive, and Jack kind of wished he could do it all over. All of it. Back in Boston, everything since then, this moment in the hotel room, alone with Noah, the only things between them Noah’s clothes, a flimsy robe, and Jack’s second thoughts.

And then— fuck, and then Noah kissed him, like he meant it, and Jack kind of just wanted to stay there forever. Kissing Noah was much more fun than losing to McDavid.

Eventually, Noah pulled away, just sort of sitting back and looking at Jack, wonder in his eyes.

“What?” Jack asked, a bit defensively, still wearing a bit of a shield despite how gentle Noah had been with him the whole time.

“No, no, nothing,” Noah assured him in a soft tone, hand raising to cup one of Jack’s cheeks. “I’m sorry you lost today, but for the record, I think you’re still a winner.”

Jack choked back a laugh, shaking his head at the playful condescension in his tone. “Are you serious about this?” he asked.

“Um, duh?” Noah laughed, not stopping himself. “I’ve kind of been serious about this since college, idiot.”

He let himself pause to think about it, how he had grown up with Noah there by his side, the way they had learned with each other what worked and what didn’t, what they liked and what they didn’t.

“I’m not used to having nice things,” Jack said, soft. “Guess it’s just too hard for me to let myself believe I could have this.”

“Well, you can.” Noah kissed him as a promise, and Jack sighed against him.

He’d panic about it more later, replay this moment in his head a million times, but for them, Jack just wanted to let himself enjoy it. It was nice to have a distraction from not being good enough.

“Stay here tonight?” Jack asked, and Noah nodded. “Yeah, of course.”

He watched Noah get up and peel his shirt off. It was a sight he’d seen a million times in Boston, and then in Sunrise, and then in wherever else they could fit in. Tampa was new, but so was all of this, so Jack thought it was fitting.

“You think I’ll get shit for losing to McDavid?” he asked as Noah pushed his pants down.

Noah just groaned, shaking his head. “Dude. I do not want to remember our first night of being together as the night you wouldn’t shut up about Connor.”

Jack’s breath caught at that. Because, like, yeah, that was what they were doing. Clean and easy, nothing like Jack’s experience told him it should be. He kissed Noah, Noah kissed him, done. But it was seriously happening, and Noah had just said it, and he maybe swooned a little bit.

“Well, you think I’m better than him?”

Jack took the robe off because fuck it, and crawled under the duvet, smiling as Noah joined him. He traced a hand over his side, taking in the familiar feeling of skin on skin.

“Yes, Jack,” Noah sighed. “You’re so much better than Connor. Watch out NHL, hockey jesus Jack Eichel is coming.”

“Shut  _up_ , Hanifin.”

He was smiling, which made him stop to think. It was so easy, being with Noah was so easy. It kind of pissed him off that playing against Connor was harder than that. One childhood dream or another, he supposed. One of them had to be hard.

As Jack closed his eyes, feeling no pressure but that of Noah’s hand coming down on his hip, he was sure that he had gotten the better bargain.

(The Pacific won, but Connor didn’t have Noah and Jack did, so Jack was pretty sure he knew who the real winner was. Fuck McDavid, anyway.)

**Author's Note:**

> this was in my drafts idek
> 
> hmu in the comments here or on tumblr @ tylerparsons, lemme know what you wanna see next !!


End file.
